Pickled Vegetables and Romaine Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
10 garlic cloves
2 cups bite-sized cauliflower florets, about 1/4 medium head
4 mini cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 romaine hearts, sliced, about 10 cups
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine the cider vinegar, sugar, kosher salt and garlic cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook 2 minutes. Combine the cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots and shallot in a large bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over, let cool 10 minutes then cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Drain the vegetables and discard garlic cloves.
3. Combine the pickled vegetables and romaine in a bowl. Combine the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a separate bowl; pour over romaine mixture and toss well. Serve immediately.